Theodore Roosevelt

d as President. Roosevelt was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and ca

y. This simply means that they rejoice at the unnecessary deaths of thousands of other Americans who die from disease in camp, or are killed in the field through neglect to prepare in advance. Preparation for war is not wholly the matter of ha

at many ships of our Navy were busy all the time. Nobody liked to have to do this for we naturally sympathized with the Cubans, who were making such a brave fight against stupid and tyrannical governors sent from Spain. One of the last of these was particularly bad. He herded the Cuban people into camps where t

dy. He had the support of the President and of Secretary Long in nearly everything that he proposed, and so was able to do some useful w

that war should never be resorted to when, or so long as, it is honorably possible to avoid it. I respect all men and women who from high motives and with sanity and self-re

biography

where he could have plunged the country into war half a dozen times, whether these words we

nderful about such remarks. In looking back at them there seems to be nothing wonderful about many things that he said and did. They are merely examples of plain, common-sense, and it appears ridiculous that anybody should have had to make such remarks, or to fight hard to get such clearly necessary things done. Yet

ppointed to command the Asiatic squadron, a

For weeks the country debated as to the cause of the explosion which sank the Maine, and the matter was investigated by naval officers assisted by divers. They found that the explosion had come from the outside. Somebody had set off a mine or torpedo beneath the ship. Nobody in America disputed this, except a few of th

e believed that it was the duty first and foremost of men like himself, who advised war, to take part in it. He was nearly forty years old, and had a family. Many other men in his place would have discovered that

d Roosevelt was Acting-Secretary of the Navy,

n, Februa

, Hon

ation of war Spain, your duty will be to see that the Spanish squadron does not leave the Asiati

sev

trance into the Great War against Germany. Congress arranged for three regiments of volunteer cavalry to be raised among the men in the Rockies

in the National Guard in New York, rising to the rank of Captain. Many men in the Civil War without one half of his experience and knowledge, gayly accepted Brigadier-Generalships. Also, in the Spanish War, another public man, Mr. William J. Bryan, allowed h

an, always pushing himself forward, it may be well to

e campaign against the Apaches. He had been awarded the Medal of Honor,

it had members from nearly every State. Many Eastern college men were in it, including some famous foot-ball players, polo-players, tennis champions and oarsmen. The regiment trained at San Antonio, and landed in Cuba for the attack on Santiago on June 22. The troo

ng smokeless powder, then rather a new thing in war. Two of our regiments at Santiago were still using black powder rifles, and the artillery used black powder, which by its smoke showed the enemy just where they were. Our artillery was always sil

r some while they were kept waiting in reserve, taking what shelter they could from the Mauser bullets, which came whirring through the tall jungle grass. This is the most trying part of a fight. It is all right when at last you can charge your enemy and come to close quarters with him, but to lie on the ground under fire, unable to see anybody to fire upon, is the worst strain upon the

s, but found that the heat was so bad that he could not run up and down the line and superintend things unless he was on horseback. When he was mounted he c

cause there were some sugar kettles on top of it. His horse was scraped by a couple of bullets, as he went up, and one of the bullets nicked his elbow. Members of the other cavalry regiments were mingled

ward. In cleaning out the trenches Roosevelt and his orderly were suddenly fired on at less than ten yards by two Spaniards. Roosevelt killed o

There was a short period in the trenches, which seemed tedious to the riders from the plains, but was nothing to

the regiment was brought home to Montauk Point and mustered out. After the surrender of Santiago it was supposed that the war was going on and that there would be a campaign in the winter against Havana. But the American Army was full of yellow fever. Half the Rough Riders were sick at one time, and the condition of other regiments was as

state of things, and setting out how important it was, if any of the army was to be kept alive, that they should be sent away from Cuba, until the sickly seas

General Shafter, saying the same things. The Government at Washingt

rged with "insubordination" by men who would rather make a mess of things and do it according to the rules of the book, than succeed in something useful an